Easily mistaken for a photograph, "Portrait of a Man" (2011) is a visually arresting photo-realist oil painting is by one of the most famous multi-media artists in China, Huang Yan (China, b. 1966). Depicting a close-up portrait of a young Chinese man whose face has been painted white and acts as a canvas, as it is covered with a traditional Chinese floral landscape in full bloom, with rural huts nestled in valleys between mountain peaks. In stunning contrast to the tranquil scene upon his face, the clear and direct gaze of his wide-open, dark brown eyes makes this work visceral and energized as well. Huang Yan is internationally renowned for redefining the "human body as a canvas" in this manner, usually in photographs and now in paintings. In fact, this painting encapsulates what makes Huang so important, as it is a synthesis of a traditional Chinese landscape painted in a contemporary setting upon the human body, creating a unique conceptual context. This painting measures 47.20 x 35.50 inches, is unframed and in excellent condition.

Huang Yan is highly sought-after by collectors and curators alike and has for decades been the subject of important solo and group show, including: 100 International Artists at the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, 2005, Italy; Between the Past and the Future at the International Center of Photography, 2004, NYC; Guangzhou Triennial Exhibition at the Guangdong Museum of Art, 2002; 1st Chinese Art Triennial, Guangzhou Art Museum, 2002; Canton Triennial, Canton Museum of Fine Arts, 2002, China; The Turn of the Century: Exhibition of Chinese Art 1979-1999, Chengdu Museum of Modern Art, 1999, China; The East is Red, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999, London UK. Huang Yan graduated from the Changchun Normal Academy, China in 1987. The artist lives and works in Beijing, China.